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eyes. “Kinda goes with the territory.”
    Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Whaddya mean?”
    “Scoots,” Rainbow deadpanned, “Twi’s my special somepony, of course we’re close.”
    Eyes wide and wings flaring out of the stretch routine in surprise, Scootaloo gaped. “W-what?”
    “You mean…you didn’t know?” Numbly, the filly shook her head. “Huh. I thought everypony knew by now. Err…sorry for not tellin’ ya sooner, squirt.” The daredevil shifted uncomfortably on her hooves.
    “But…you’re both mares.”
    Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply. She searched the younger pegasus’ face carefully. There was no revulsion or judgement etched into her features, only confusion, and Rainbow breathed a steady exhalation of relief. It was clear as day in her expression; Scootaloo had never heard of such a thing. The blue mare twitched her wings awkwardly. ‘This isn’t my job. I shouldn’t be the one talking to her about this,’ she thought. Her mouth opened and her throat worked, but she snapped her jaw shut again. ‘Whose job is it then?’
    Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Scootaloo, do you know what ‘gay’ means?” she asked quietly, stiltedly picking over her words. At the filly’s slow shake of her head, she continued, “A gay pony is a mare who likes other mares, or a stallion who likes other stallions.” She sat down slowly scratching the back of her mane with a hoof. “And I mean like-like, not just as friends. There aren’t as many gay ponies as there are straight ones…Which, uh, that’s the name for, like, stallions who like mares. Anyway, it’s not as common…I think Twilight told me once that, like, one out of every four mares is gay. Stallions are different…she said it had somethin’ to do with how many mares there are compared to stallions, I dunno.” Rainbow Dash blinked and mentally admonished herself for rambling.
    She shook her head quickly and refocused on Scootaloo. The filly’s eyes were still wide, but had filled with dawning comprehension. Despite the waver in her voice and sweat on her brow, she breathed in and steeled her resolve. “That’s what being gay is, and that’s all that it means. Some ponies have silly ideas about it and think being gay makes a mare more likely to play sports or a stallion like to play with dolls, but that’s wrong. It’s just about who a pony can fall in love with and it’s completely normal. Do, uh…” she coughed nervously, wanting the conversation to be over and hoping she hadn’t said the wrong thing, “Do ya have any questions?”
    Scootaloo slowly sank to her haunches, her eyes distant and mouth slack. Her brow knit together as she vacantly said, “…That makes…so much sense.” She lifted her head, her bewildered gaze focused in on Rainbow Dash. “I’ve seen Lyra and Bon Bon sharing a milkshake together. I feel like an idiot!”
    Rainbow Dash let out a breathless chuckle, the rigid muscles in her shoulders unclenching in a crashing wave. “Don’t worry about it, squirt. Just not somethin’ anypony talked to ya about yet.” She rested a hoof on the filly’s shoulder and they exchanged a silent smile. As she locked her gaze with Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo felt a squirming flutter in the pit of her stomach. The connection she felt with Rainbow was foreign and unfamiliar, but she cherished it, grasping at the feeling in her mind. She half-wished for the moment to last forever. Rainbow Dash ruffled her mane and said, “Now about those stretches…”
    Scootaloo clambered back to her hooves and got to work, finishing up her stretches. She waved lightly to the two mares and took off on her scooter, wincing when her wings unfurled and opting to push it with a hindleg instead. Grinning, Twilight leapt onto Rainbow’s back and the two took to the air.
    Flying into Twilight’s bedroom, Rainbow Dash clattered her hooves down on the wooden floorboards. Twilight hopped off her lightly and the pegasus turned around and buried